dasbulliwagen

1987 Comanche Sportruck Originally 2.5 AX4 2wd D35 3:55 Now 2.5 AX5 NP207 D30 D35 4:10 Build date: illegible Current Location: Asheboro, NC Status: Not quite a DD, but sees regular use Milage as of 6/10: 344,000 Notes: I am in the process of converting to 4wd, added: AC, PS, cold air intake, Flowmaster 50 series muffler, gutted cat conv, electric cooling fan conversion, power windows, power locks, power antenna, clock, cig lighter, radio, Cherokee rear bumper, wagoneer front end, Wagoneer door panels dyed black, XJ Country front sway bar, and wheels from a limited with BFG 235 AT tires. Still has original black interior with bench seat and rubber floor, no rust. Project: Comanche Limited http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopi ... =7&t=18558 Current owner: Jason C. aka dasbulliwagen, second owner

Two words.... rear main seal! If it isnt leaking now, it will in the future. Not a bad thing though really as it can be replaced without pulling the trans. Sounds like a good buy. Good luck building her up, and don't be afraid to ask ANY questions.

The early Cougar pictured above was not a Mercury only vehicle... it was a rebodied Mustang... all the underpinnings are the same, and the cougar taillights were even used in the shleby cars. Not that it matters that much, though Ive always liked Mercury. When I was younger I always wanted a mid/late '80's Cougar... you could swap a 460 into one of them and keep everything under the hood! What a sleep that would be! The Crown Vics lack of resale value has always made me wonder. I know they are good cars, but you can buy real nice used ones relatively dirt cheap. That CV concept looks good, but reminds me of something.....Like a Chrysler 300! The squared off ends, the high beltline. And I just read an http://www.allpar.com where Ford just raised the price of the police version vics, whereas Chysler has just lowered the price of the Charger police cars. Price is the bottom line for many municipalities when it comes to buying cars. The Chargers don't have that many common problems when it comes to maintinance. There are a few issues, but I would consider them minor in the big picture of the cars reliability. Ive also heard many officers say that the 3.5HO Charger V6 has as good of power as the Crowns V8... the Hemi just blows the vic out of the water! Back to topic.... Merc will be missed, along with all the other casualties of this recession. And just because Ford kills the company, doesnt mean that it gets rid of the name.... maybe someday they will recycle it with something deserving!

THAT IS SO FREAKIN AWESOME! I hope someone good gets these, as Id hate to see them tore up.

How much does the JK springs lift the comanche? I am very curious to find out. I didnt end up putting the JK front springs in as I was running out of time and didnt get to unbolt the original springs from the beam. As far as length goes, they are about the same length as 2wd 4 cyl front Mj springs, but I have no idea about the spring rate. They are for a slightly heavier vehicle so they might have lifted the front a little, but I really couldnt tell you. If the spring rate is heavier, they may just be about the same as a 4wd spring. They are the same diameter so they would have bolted up perfectly. As an update, I got my Wagoneer door installed and adjusted, and the Wagoneer door panels painted black to match the rest of my interior. It turned out looking really good, though the armrests are having issues drying fully. I'm hoping with some time in the warm sun that they will dry better and not be as sticky feeling. No pics this time, camera was dead. Ill get some later and post up. Next step is to wire the doors up to make the windows and locks work. I installed new 5 1/4" speakers in the doors and have working tunes for the first time in this trucks history. And I also now have a working clock... I put the new one in, and it didnt work....so to the parts dept, found chrysler still shows a part number for the clock, but it has been discontinued and there are literally none available in any dealer in the country. So I decided to go back to square one.... checked power to the clock at the fuse... fuse was good, but corroded! Cleaned the terminals, and now have a working clock! Which means the old clock was just fine before I tore it apart and threw it away! :fs1: :doh: The old one was brighter than this new one too! :fs1: Anyways progress is being made slowly, but surely. I also need to now remove the woodgrain from my waggy doors, and then polish the truck up! My trailer hitch build is on hold for a little while, but will eventually get finished too.

I bugged (meaning checked back) my current employer three or 4 times before they hired me, I think the last time they just happened to need someone and I got right in for an interview and got the job. Keep at it, youll do fine!

I know the whereabouts of at least three other comanches that I could add to the list too, though these people don't frequest forums. :thumbsup:

I don't understand this fear of posting VINs. You can walk up to any car anywhere, look at the windsheild and write down the VIN. Kinda like people who blur their plates! Eveyone sees it when you drive down the road, whats the difference? I can't say thet I beleive the stories some people tell about why they do it. Its like one of those friend of a friend of a friend stories that is probably an urban myth. If someone had ill will, and wanted to do something with the info that these numbers can or can't give you, why would they chose some random person on the internet, when they could just get the info on a walk through any parking lot?

What was the topic of this thread again??? OH YEAH!!! Best accessory! UHM... I'm not sure if they count as accessories, but the fabric type tow strap that I bought (used) has come in handy sooo many times, and if youre pulling, it really cuts down on the jerking that you might get if you used a chain. The other is a LARGE guage jumper cable set. They make such a difference over the small cheapies you find in most places. Other than those, a cell phone to call for help has been the best! These all were a lot more usefull when I had nothing but old VW's to drive. I don't even carry a phone anymore... whats that say about my Jeep!

The Tigers deserved to have a perfect game, and its sad to see something like that get screwed up. The tigs have a nice comeback in the last few years, and this would have been icing on the cake. A limited use of instant replay would be fine by me.

:thumbsup:

I don't remember!! :( :( :( I have been looking for more for some time!! I'm looking right now!! I THINK it was in a parts store called pep boys, but cannot be certain. If anyone else has seen them PLEASE let us know!! If I find some, I'll let you know. CW Theres an army surplus store near here that I bet would have them. I havent been there in a while though. Ill try to check next time I'm through.

Installed my Wagoneer doors with all the power acessories and vent wings, and researched what will be needed to wire them up, then I got some Krylon plastic paint and am in the process of "dyeing" the door panels black to match my interior. Looks good so far. Sorry, no pics, forgot the camera.

How would a 5.3 GM swap be any easier than a 4.0 swap, or a 5.2 magnum swap.... it all has to be changed anyways no matter what you do for a swap. The TJ is just not one of those vehicles that make it easy for ya to do something like this. Another big consideration is availability of a swap motor/trans, and CASH (or lack therof). If you have a 5.3 sitting around that you don't have to go out and buy... I say go for it, but if all you have is a 4.0 sitting around, why would you go out and buy a 5.3.... unless you really really wanted one? Its all going to be a pain in the but, but its often worth it if thats all you have available to work with. Need combined with lack of funds can make a man make anything work if he wants it bad enough.

Just did a search for TJ 5.2 swap, and a ton of stuff came up incuding this article from JP magazine. http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/ ... index.html Looks pretty cool. Maybe the dealer bought the TJ converted already, or sent it somewhere to have it converted for them.... it happens all the time. Looks like a good swap though!

There isnt much to choose from in what youre looking for, anymore. I can't reccomend any GM products, and I don't like the Dodge dakota... too big. The Ford ranger is too small... maybe, but I'm not sure you can even get a longbed in one of those. I hate to say it, but you really can't go to wrong with a Toyota, but I have no idea what their larger engine options are. Nissan is out, just because. Mitsu is just a rebadged Dakota. Not much to choose from is there? If it was me, Id look at a shortbed Ram 1500, but you don't get much wider than a Ram... not good for narrow trails. Good luck man, let us know what you get!

Ive heard that too, and from what Ive seen of thee production numbers I can see why... they just arent selling like they used to.... same goes for the ford ranger, Mazda B2300..... the mazdas are done, but I read something the other day about a ranger redesign.... about time. Most people, nowadays anyways that but a truck want a fullsize. My dad even said the same thing after he bought his ranger in 96.... shoulda got a fullsize. He still has the ranger, and it still gets him around, but its getting to be on its last leg.... especially after all the years of Michigan winters. I'm going to try my darnedest to get him into a full size dodge when the time comes. If they do bring back the dakota, it will be smaller and on a different platform, I think the thing I read said possibly on a modified Caravan platform changed to RWD. We'll just havee to wait and see.

Ive heard that too, and from what Ive seen of thee production numbers I can see why... they just arent selling like they used to.... same goes for the ford ranger, Mazda B2300..... the mazdas are done, but I read something the other day about a ranger redesign.... about time. Most people, nowadays anyways that but a truck want a fullsize. My dad even said the same thing after he bought his ranger in 96.... shoulda got a fullsize. He still has the ranger, and it still gets him around, but its getting to be on its last leg.... especially after all the years of Michigan winters. I'm going to try my darnedest to get him into a full size dodge when the time comes. If they do bring back the dakota, it will be smaller and on a different platform, I think the thing I read said possibly on a modified Caravan platform changed to RWD. We'll just havee to wait and see.

Ive run into similar situations to this at the dealership in the last two years. The first was a Liberty that had a used engine put into it at another shop, and for the life of them, they couldnt get it running. We swapped cam and crank sensors, and tested the circuits... all was good, then we decided to investigate what years were compatible with the body's computer system. Turns out it had the wrong year motor in it, and the tone ring for the crank sensor was different... bad thing was, the tone ring is part of the crankshaft! Stupid people don't do their homework! Another one was a Sebring Conv.... same situation.... motor swapped... won't run. I unplugged the cam sensor and the engine fired right up.... tested the circuit, swapped the sensor... no fix. Investigated again... wrong year engine....incompatible computer system...except this one the only difference was the cam tone ring.... they paid the 10.4 hours we charged them for diagnostics and labor to replace the entire timing chain and all gears and water pump to get this thing going. Morale is .... be careful what motor you get and do your homework!

Not sure on value, but sounds pretty Bad azz! Is it the 2.4, or the 2.5, I'm not sure what year they changed it. Doing a 4.0 swap would be much easier if you had a complete donor, with wiring and all. And arent the motor mounts welded to the frame in the TJ's? With a donor, you could swap everything one peice at a time, and have some reference as to how it goes in and fits, If you get it by the peice, I can see where it might sound easier to do a V8 swap. Good luck, and sounds cool!

Its not two different frames just for 6 inches... the beds are 6 foot, and 7 foot, it is 6 inches longer in front of the tire different and 6 inches longer behind the tire different. Does that make more sense?

You don't 'love dogs' when you say "It's just a dog". Let me try it... "This is just my child", "This is just an MJ", "This is just my wife". Nah, it doesn't make a lot of sense... You simply want a dog as a thing - an 'animal'. After all, that's all it is to you. Once you went to college, you discarded the 'animal', or otherwise never really had responsibility for it in the first place. It's also apparent you lack much empathy(amongst other things) for your fellow humans as well by wishing some of them death for simply caring for dogs; dogs which you purport to love. I guess love means different things to different folks. I have one breed of dog that was 'made to live outside' - a Komondor. The rest were bred to have thin skin and virtually no fur for speed, so idiots could bet on them, lose their money, and make the owners/abusers some cash. Even the racetracks do not keep Greyhounds outside exposed for fear of losing their investments. You might want to do a little research on the various breeds of dogs before you advocate a sweeping care package for all of them next time. I hope you are right - I hope for your sake that was simply a rant. WYK ^^^ I agree... if it JUST A DOG... you don't care that much to begin with. EDIT.... I had a whole long thing wrote up, but I don't think I want to get any more into it... this subject can get as bad as politics, religion or racism.... we don't need to go there.

stumbled upon this on Pirate4x4 I think... was searching for pics of a Suzuki Samurai Pickup... don't ask why.

I think you meant to say swapping in an HO engine, instead of a renix... you currently have a renix system, and the 91 newer system is the Chrysler HO system. To swap in an HO, youll need the entire engine harness, dash harness, HVAC system....best to have a complete donor sitting next to your truck if youll be doing this. But I agree. Your truck isnt ready for a rebuild yet. In addition to the CCV system upgrades or repairs, you might also look at getting new valve stem seals installed. They could be dried up and allowing oil to be sucked into the combustion chamber. If it still runs strong, and doesnt knock, then everything else is fixable!